OUCH! Free Content gets hurt by enabled Ad Blockers

Fairfax, Va.-based Xybernaut Corp. announced it has rolled out a new wearable PC with a companion head-mount display which it will target to users across North America. Named ‘poma’ here, Hitachi Ltd. will be marketing the product in Japan under the name WIA-100NB, for Wearable Internet Appliance. Xybernaut says poma is the “ideal computing option for mobile individuals.” The 10.9-ounce device is powered by Hitachi’s SuperH 32-bit 128MHz RISC processor with companion coprocessor, and runs on Microsoft’s Windows CE operating system. The poma device also features a Compact Flash slot, USB port, 32MB of ROM, 32MB of RAM, a custom optical mouse and a removable internal, rechargeable battery. The head-mount display enables a private viewing experience, according to the company, and users are provided with support for instant on/off Internet. According to a press release issued by Xybernaut, the device will appeal to a broad customer base and various target markets including transaction-based computing, distance learning, e-commerce, online activities and entertainment such as movies and video games. The poma, which retails for US$1,499, can be ordered now through the company’s Web site at www.xybernaut.com/poma for delivery before the end of Q1.

pickAtime…any time

Patients looking to book an appointment at an MCI Medical Clinic in Toronto can now do so online thanks to a Vancouver- and Seattle-based based Internet appointment service provider. The Internet appointment service, called pickAtime, was deployed in December to enable patients to register for vaccinations online, thus alleviating the need to call in to busy offices. According to a press release, MCI says it expects the service to be a convenient, time-saving process for all the patients. The pickAtime service is an automated customer registration, scheduling and database tool that is deployed over the Internet. It is currently in use by various business verticals including healthcare, financial, real estate and consumer Web portals, according to pickAtime.

Canadian retiring site launches

A new Web site was launched last month aimed at helping Canadians of all ages plan their retirement securely. RetirementAdvisor.ca is comprised of three main sections: Learning Centre, Directory and Tools. The Tools section includes more than a dozen tools such as calculators, which enable users to analyze their financial situations and plan accordingly, according to the company. The Learning Centre features a retirement planning primer, document database and glossary to help users understand all that is involved with retirement in Canada. And finally, the Directory is a searchable database which allows users to search by keyword for products, service or information related to retirement.

Worms keep on creeping in

Wakefield, Mass.-based Sophos Inc. released a list of the top ten viruses reported to it in December, and revealed that the number one virus on that list could also prove to be one of the most widespread worms of the year, according to the company’s president. W32/Badtrans-B, a Badtrans variant, was the most highly reported at 92.4 per cent, and accounted for nine out of 10 viruses reported to the company in November, according to the antivirus software firm. W32/Goner-A was the second-most reported at 1 per cent, while the W32/Sircam-A only came in fourth. W32/Nimda-A came in seventh, along with another variant of the virus – W32/Nimda-D. Badtrans, which uses MAPI to spread, forwards itself to addresses found on the affected computer as a message with no message text. It will also search out target addresses in the user’s address book, Internet cache and “My Documents” folders.

What’s your .name?

A Canadian company is making a name for itself – and for others – in the land down under. Namescout.com, sister company of Ottawa-based Internic.ca, announced that it has “obtained provisional accreditation from the Australian Domain Administration (auDA) as one of the first registrars in the newly competitive .au market.” On top of that, the company, which has its corporate offices in Bridgetown, Barbados and Yarralumla, Australia, is also calling itself the world’s first .name registrar. The site allowed for individuals to pre-register online, to have their .name go up live last month. The company says that for the next few months, new .name registrations will continue to be processed and resolved every few weeks. Once the registry is fully launched – which will be in May, according to a press release – real-time registration will be available. Internic.ca and Namescout.com are both owned by Ottawa-based Momentous.ca.